Years ago at San Jose State a student came up after class and physically threatened me. He was very angry about some of my comments on his paper. I’ll admit he scared me. When I walked into my next class, one of the students saw me shaking and asked, “Dr. Christman, is something wrong?” I told the class about the student who had threatened me.
One of the students in that second class was a biker who always dressed in leathers. He raised his hand and growled, “What’s that guy’s name?” I laughed and felt the tension dissipate.
I hadn’t thought about that incident for years until today, when I read an essay by Adam Winkler in the New York Times entitled “The Guns of Academe.” Mr. Winkler notes that Arizona governor Jan Brewer must decide by Monday whether or not to sign a bill passed by the legislature lifting the ban on guns on university campuses.
In my 35+ years as a college professor, I have seen students angry at me and angry at each other. I’ve had a student whose behavior was so bizarre that I called campus security; that student was later institutionalized for a time. In every case, however, the issues were resolved, the anger was dissipated, the crisis settled. (By the way, the student who threatened me apologized profusely in the subsequent class. I also keep in touch with the biker who was ready to come to my defense.)
Supposedly the Arizona legislation will allow students to protect themselves against fellow students. I think it will dampen free expression and robust debate. Students and professors will censor their remarks, wondering if a classmate will take offense and start shooting. I’m sure the N.R.A. supports this bill, but the N.R.A. has no sense whatsoever. I hope Governor Brewer does.
I agree with you whole-heartedly. This would be madness. Surely you remember the case of Frederick Davidson who shot and killed the three professors at San Diego State University who were empaneled to hear his master's thesis. I suppose that the other side believes that other students and faculty with their own weapons could have neutralized this threat with their own fire. That is not my view.
ReplyDeleteI was googoling to see if Brewer had signed or vetoed this bill when I found your blog post. Keep up the good work.